Four Inspiring Stories from the 2016 Peachtree Road Race

When Betty Lindberg, a 91-year-old world record holder in the 800 meters, finished her 26th Peachtree Road Race on Monday, she was happy to be finished like the rest of the 56,000 participants. With hot temperatures in the upper 80s and humid conditions, race officials were forced to send out a red flag alert indicating dangerous weather.

Still, Lindberg pushed herself all the way to the finish in a time of 1:51:43.

The heat and attention that she garnered leading up to the race had Lindberg post a time slightly slower than last year (1:47:18) but not by much.

“A couple of people asked could we get a selfie with you, so that added on a few minutes,” Lindberg said. “Of course I had to accommodate. Otherwise I would have probably done the same time as last year.”

Running alongside several family members got her through the race as well. Lindberg ran with her son, Craig, 60, as well as her daughter-in-law, Cindi, and grandson, Kyle. She said Kyle has younger legs at 20, so he took off in the beginning and finished the 10K in 1:15:07.

Bolstered by her recent record, last week Lindberg received what she called “surprising news” when Mizuno offered her a spot on its official racing team. She said she has already received Mizuno apparel and shoes, and the company donated 91 pairs of youth running shoes to the Atlanta Track Club's Kilometer Kids program in honor of Lindberg’s success on the track.

As for the matter of running the Peachtree next year, she’s unsure.

“It’s still in doubt at this time,” Lindberg said. “But then after you finish, you think how much fun it was. We will have to see how it goes.”

Lindberg plans on running the Decatur DeKalb 4 Miler in Decatur, Georgia, on July 16 and numerous other 5Ks in the near future.

“I just hope I can keep up,” she said on continuing to run. “I plan to until I can’t anymore.”

Lindberg wasn’t the only inspirational story from the Peachtree Road Race. Here are three more that caught our attention.

Continuing His Peachtree Streak

Bill Thorn, 86, from Tyrone, Georgia, kept his streak of running every Peachtree Road Race alive with his 47th appearance. He is one of a handful of runners who has run in every edition since the debut in 1970.

With his granddaughter by his side, he finished in 1:28:41. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he plans on returning next year and continuing the tradition.

He finished in 2:18:35, and he plans on returning in 2017 for another go-round.

From Kuwait to Georgia

U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Kanatzar ran the Peachtree last year. Only, it was in Kuwait.

After completing the satellite race last year, Kanatzar ran in-person on Monday as a tribute to her fellow service members in Kuwait. While stationed there, she was a part of the Camp Arfijan running club.

She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionthat, oddly enough, the conditions were worse yesterday than in Kuwait, since you can’t escape the humidity in the South.

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